It's Just One Day

I imagine this picture when I think of Jesus praying in Gethsemane. It's what I look like when I'm agonizing in prayer. 

Alone, as his "sweat became like great drops of blood" and poured from his body.  He looked at the pain set before him, he saw it fully for what it was. The mental anguish of separation, the physical pain, the taunting. Then he looked at my face and made a decision. Because this was a decision, he had an out at any time because he had free will. But in anguish, He said, "you're worth it." He went ahead with it. 

I used to think, "but what's the big deal?? He was always meant to rise again, this was not the end and he knew that right? So what makes this such a sacrifice?"

Now I think of what it would mean for me to do it. I can't even get into the mental place to think about separation from God so I think about just the physical part. 

Someone says, "listen Courtney, you're going to spend one whole day getting your skin slowly burned off. This is going to go three layers deep. Muscles exposed in places, the whole deal. BUT IT'S JUST ONE DAY. Then you die and three days later you'll rise and THEN you can't be hurt anymore and everyone will know why it happened. It's just one day."

I can't imagine withstanding that or saying yes to that and it's just physical. At the first touch of fire on my body, I would scream out, "GOD TAKE THIS CUP FROM ME, I CAN'T SAY YES TO THIS." But do you know what could make me say yes to that? Saving my children. 

Asher, Willow, Zoe 

They are the only things that could make me say, "if there's any other way, please tell me what it is. But if not, I'm in." The ones who were given to me to raise and love hold the very power to inspire an act of sacrificial love. 

And that's why Jesus could die for you. Because you are a child of God and you are worth it to Him. Live worthy today.